SHERIDAN car
ACCIDENT ATTORNEY

Auto Accident Lawyer
Representing Injury Victims
in Sheridan, OR

Johnston Law Firm represents individuals and families injured in car accidents in Sheridan, OR, and throughout Yamhill County. Whether a collision occurs along Highway 18, on Bridge Street, or on the rural roads connecting Sheridan to nearby communities, the consequences can be devastating. Although our office is based in Portland, attorney Marc A. Johnston and our legal team help accident victims across Oregon navigate insurance disputes, establish liability, and pursue compensation for their injuries and financial losses.

Injured in a Sheridan car crash? Contact Johnston Law Firm or call (503) 546-3167 to discuss your legal options. Our car accident lawyers offer free consultations and handle claims on a contingency fee basis (no fees unless we win), so you can focus on your recovery while we manage the legal process.

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How Johnston Law Firm Handles Your Sheridan Car Accident Claim

Recovering compensation after a car accident can involve complex questions about fault, insurance coverage, and the extent of your injuries. At Johnston Law Firm, Marc A. Johnston and our legal team can handle these challenges, protect your interests, and guide you through the claims process while you focus on getting better.

When you choose our firm to represent you, we can:

• Investigate your collision to establish what happened and identify negligent drivers or other responsible parties.
• Gather and preserve evidence, including police reports, photographs, witness statements, and available surveillance footage.
• Examine insurance coverage to identify policies and potential sources of compensation for your losses.
• Handle insurance communications and challenge attempts to unfairly deny liability or undervalue your injuries.
• Document your damages, including medical expenses, lost income, future care needs, and pain and suffering.
• Negotiate for fair compensation and pursue litigation when insurers refuse to offer reasonable settlements.

We believe that thorough preparation is essential to protecting our clients’ interests. That’s why we prepare every case as though it will go to trial, even when a settlement appears likely. This approach helps us build stronger claims, anticipate potential disputes, and pursue the compensation you are entitled to.

Common Car Accident Injuries We Help Sheridan Clients Recover From 

Car accidents can be very difficult to predict, and their results can be even more unpredictable. What is known is that there tend to be a few common injuries from car accidents, whether they are major accidents or even minor.

• Head trauma
• Lower body trauma 
• Herniated discs and bulging
• Broken bones
• Organ ruptures and injuries
• Severe burns
• Eye injuries
• Whiplash

What to Do After a Car Accident
in Sheridan

The steps you take immediately after a car accident can affect both your health and your ability to pursue compensation. Whether your collision occurred on Highway 18, a residential street, or another roadway in Sheridan, protecting your safety and preserving important evidence should be your priorities.

If you are involved in a car accident, we recommend taking the following steps whenever it is safe and possible:

• Check for injuries and move to a safe location if you can do so without putting yourself or others at risk.
• Call 911 if anyone is injured, emergency assistance is needed, or the accident presents an immediate danger.
• Request police assistance so responding officers can investigate the collision and document important details.
• Exchange information with the other driver, including names, contact details, driver’s license information, vehicle registration, and insurance coverage.
• Take photographs of vehicle damage, license plates, road conditions, traffic signs, skid marks, and the surrounding accident scene.
• Collect witness information, including names and contact details of anyone who saw the collision.
• Seek medical attention as soon as possible, even if your injuries initially appear minor or you feel relatively well.
• Notify your insurance company about the accident, but avoid speculating about fault or providing recorded statements before seeking legal advice.
• File an Oregon DMV accident report within 72 hours if your collision meets the state’s mandatory reporting requirements.
• Preserve important documentation, including medical records, treatment bills, repair estimates, insurance correspondence, and proof of lost income.
• Avoid discussing your accident on social media, as insurers may review public statements or photographs when evaluating your claim.
• Contact Johnston Law Firm to discuss your legal rights and learn how we can help protect your interests.

You do not have to manage the aftermath of a serious car accident alone. Our Sheridan car accident attorneys can help you understand the claims process, preserve evidence, communicate with insurance companies, and avoid mistakes that could jeopardize your right to compensation.

Determining Liability in Sheridan Car Accident Cases

As many factors as there are in car accident cases, determining liability is of the utmost importance and in many ways, dictates how the case will move forward. When an accident happens, insurance companies and other concerned parties will investigate the following:

• What kind of accident was it: rear-end, side swipe, head-on, highway collision?
• What the property damage looks like for all involved parties
• Types of injuries reported
• Past driving records
• Witness information (if there are any witnesses)
• Any other physical evidence

The investigation of these factors will make each interested entity (insurance, attorney’s office) decide on who was liable for this accident. The insurance company will conduct their own investigation on these circumstances, but when you hire an experienced Sheridan car accident lawyer, they will conduct a separate investigation into the facts of the incident. Sometimes in simple cases, such as a rear-end accident, full liability will be claimed by the at-fault driver’s insurance that same day. In other cases, where the details are a little more complex, liability may be tricky to be decided upon. Regardless of the complexity, we at the Johnston Law Firm will find the truth in what happened and will fight for what you deserve.

Filing your Sheridan 
Car Accident Claim on Time

At times, it seems like deadlines rule our daily lives. Well, in the world of car accident cases, there is one very important deadline that is vital to you and your loved one’s ability to receive compensation for your injuries. This deadline is two years after the date of the accident and injuries. You have two years from the day of the accident to file a claim.

You may think two years is quite a while, but trust us at the Johnston Law Firm that these two years can fly by and the longer you wait to contact a car accident attorney, the more risky the process can become. The sooner you at least reach out to us, the sooner you can get what you need in terms of advice on your next step and beginning the process of restoring your life back to normal. Give us a call today at 503-546-3167 to get our free advice.

Damages We Can Help You Recover for Your Sheridan Car Accident Injuries

When car accidents occur, there are many factors that go into dictating how a possible case will move forward. In any case, two types of damages can be eligible for compensation for a victim, both of which are designed to compensate the victim.

• Economic Damages: compensate an injured plaintiff for direct financial losses, such as medication costs, hospitalization stays, surgery bills and lost wages. Economic damages are defined by Oregon law as “objectively verifiable monetary losses including but not limited to reasonable charges necessarily incurred for medical, hospital, nursing and rehabilitative services and other health care services, burial and memorial expenses, loss of income and past and future impairment of earning capacity”.
• Noneconomic Damages: compensate an injured plaintiff for more subjective losses such as emotional trauma or distress. Oregon law defines these as “subjective, non-monetary losses, including but not limited to pain, mental suffering, emotional distress, humiliation”. These damages are more difficult to quantify, as emotional pain can be traumatic and long-lasting, as well as difficult to recover from.

Frequently
Asked Questions